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Confederate Spiel Marke?

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TrimeMe's Avatar
United States
5 Posts
 Posted 05/16/2013  7:05 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add TrimeMe to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
I recently stumbled upon a token that has rather baffled my abilities of numismatic attribution. My hopes are that someone here is able to identify the item in question, or perhaps point me in the right direction.

I will attempt to include a few photographs, however I do not have the equipment to take very useful pictures right now, so I will also include a detailed description.

This token has a diameter of approximately 21.5 mm, and appears to be made of brass. The edge is plain.

Obverse: The obverse bears a portrait of Liberty, facing left, very similar to the depiction used on Braided Hair large cents. Liberty is surrounded by 11 stars. Below Liberty's neck is the legend "SP. MARKE" Denticles are present on the rim.

Reverse: The reverse bears an eagle and shield almost identical to the eagle used on the reverse of Capped Bust coinage. The shield seems to be slightly larger than on the traditional image, and the eagle's mouth is slightly more open, giving it a somewhat more defiant look. It holds three arrows and an olive branch in its claws. The eagle itself seems slightly skinnier, especially noticeable in the eagle's left wing and the lower left of the shield, as compared to the Capped Bust eagle. Above the eagle, stretching from the midway points on both sides of the coin, is the legend "IN UNITATE FORTITUDO" Finally, below the eagle, in much smaller lettering, is "SPIEL MÜNZE."

I have spent a significant amount of time scouring the interwebs for a spiel marke similar to mine, and while I have found very similar devices, I have not yet found one exactly the same. Specifically, I am having trouble locating any pieces with 11 stars. I had thought that perhaps the 11 stars could be in reference to the 11 states of the Confederacy. I suppose then my major question is: does anyone know of any Southern spiel markes or tokens that were created with 11 stars, or has there yet been published an exhaustive (or somewhat extensive) book on spiel markes where I could turn to find more information? I'm sure there has, I just haven't been able to locate it.

P.S. I know my pictures are of extremely poor quality. However, I believe the description I provided should help fill in the gaps missing from my photos. Hopefully I will soon be able to invest in better technology for photographing coins, however right now this is all I have available. If I am able I will post better images at a later time.

Confederate-Spiel-Marke?

Confederate-Spiel-Marke?

Confederate-Spiel-Marke?
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Sap's Avatar
Australia
16809 Posts
 Posted 05/16/2013  9:00 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Hello and welcome.

"Spiel marke" is German for "play money" or "game token". These pieces were made in Germany (the city of Nuremberg was the centre of token production in Europe for centuries) and exported to America. I highly doubt if the token-makers in Germany either knew or cared about the symbolism of the number of stars, so I doubt if these were intended for export to the Confederacy.

As for references, I'm not aware of any that specifically cover German spielmarke; there are no doubt books in German. The book "Toy Coins" by David J. de Sola Rogers (1990) is the only English-language play money catalogue I'm aware of; I don't have a copy but I think it only covers British-made pieces and/or coins with British designs.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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CheetahCats's Avatar
United States
731 Posts
 Posted 05/18/2013  2:31 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add CheetahCats to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I concur with SAP's assessment and guidance.

Numerous varieties of these 19th century emissions were struck. A few merchant tokens emitted for merchants in NYC during the 1850s muled similar reverses to the OP's token reverse. Thus, quite improbable there is any association with the CSA.
Edited by CheetahCats
05/18/2013 2:34 pm
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TrimeMe's Avatar
United States
5 Posts
 Posted 05/18/2013  8:48 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add TrimeMe to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks Sap and CheetahCats. I suppose everyone wants to discover some grand historic backstory to their pieces, unfortunately sometimes those don't exist. I appreciate your knowledge. Regardless, I'll continue to enjoy this piece and the unique role it played. Plus, you can't go wrong when it only cost $5.
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Iluneek's Avatar
United States
1 Posts
 Posted 03/23/2021  06:52 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Iluneek to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Hello, my first post / reply. I purchased this last week in an on line auction. I assumed it was a US made token. I was surprised when I did a search to find out it was made in Nuremberg, Germany. The condition is in the AU category. I paid $12.50 for it. I collect many of the civil war tokens which have some wonderful designs. Very interesting of how this mirrors US coinage. This forum is an incredible resource for a small time collector of odd coins. Thank you to all!!!
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jbuck's Avatar
United States
187702 Posts
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ExoGuy's Avatar
United States
4415 Posts
 Posted 03/24/2021  3:21 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add ExoGuy to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
to the CCF, TrimeMe!

Looks like a solid explanation of this piece by our knowledgeable members.
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